AMAT vs KLAC vs VECO Stock Comparison

Applied Materials, Kla and Veeco Instruments Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
AMAT Applied Materials Inc /De
$395.93 -18.4% 1M +71.2% 1Y
Market cap
$330.96B
P/E
35.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$30.84B
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
4 wins
KLAC Kla Corp
$153.66 -18.2% 1M +26.5% 1Y
Market cap
$208.56B
P/E
43.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$13.58B
Div. yield
0.01%
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
6 wins
VECO Veeco Instruments Inc
$43.85 -11.7% 1M +50.0% 1Y
Market cap
$2.68B
P/E
115.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$682.72M
Div. yield
–
Semiconductor Equipment Technology
1 win

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Kla leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Kla 6, Applied Materials 4, Veeco Instruments 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAMATKLACVECOLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $330.96B $208.56B $2.68B AMAT
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 35.7x 43.2x 115.4x AMAT
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 29.3x 27.1x 30.0x KLAC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +7.8% +11.7% -2.5% KLAC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 30.1% 35.6% 3.4% KLAC
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 25.3% 40.7% 1.6% KLAC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA -0.3x 0.7x -5.2x VECO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.01% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +71.2% +26.5% +50.0% AMAT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +23.8%/yr +34.1%/yr +12.8%/yr KLAC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 60.5% 61.4% 70.8% AMAT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 58/100 59/100 41/100 KLAC

Percentile Scorecard

AMATKLACVECO

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisAMATKLACVECO
Valuation 55 #43 of 94 39 #58 of 94 73 #26 of 94
Growth 46 #50 of 92 52 #45 of 92 15 #78 of 92
Profitability 89 #11 of 90 97 #4 of 90 36 #58 of 90
Financial Health 48 #52 of 99 20 #79 of 99 49 #51 of 99
Shareholder Returns 53 #35 of 73 86 #11 of 73 31 #51 of 73
Overall 58 59 41
  • AMAT ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • KLAC ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors
  • VECO ranked among 103 companies in Semiconductors

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodAMATKLACVECOSPY
1 month -18.4%-18.2%-11.7% -0.2%
3 months -16.9%-19.5%-4.0% +3.9%
6 months +3.9%-15.1%-8.3% +8.2%
Year to date +54.1%+26.5%+53.4% +12.9%
1 year +71.2%+26.5%+50.0% +12.3%
3 years +201.5%+235.6%+81.5% +87.4%
3 years, per year +44.5%+49.8%+22.0% +23.3%
5 years +191.1%+332.4%+82.3% +67.9%
5 years, per year +23.8%+34.1%+12.8% +10.9%
10 years +1,271.9%+1,956.5%+99.8% +261.1%
10 years, per year +29.9%+35.3%+7.2% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureAMATKLACVECOSPY
Volatility, 1Y 60.5%61.4%70.8% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 62.2%65.4%70.8% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 2.772.802.63 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 1.180.430.71 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -55.4%-51.7%-64.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high -45.2%-49.1%-47.2% -1.2%
52-week high $723.00$301.71$83.04 $779.14
52-week low $220.23$109.71$26.39 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleAMATKLACVECO
P/E now vs peer median 33.9xmedian 45.6x 41.7xmedian 45.6x 115.2xmedian 45.6x
P/S now vs peer median 10.2xmedian 7.7x 14.8xmedian 7.7x 3.9xmedian 7.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 32.2xmedian 29.0x 33.9xmedian 29.0x 63.0xmedian 29.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 55.9xmedian 40.6x 53.3xmedian 40.6x 31.5xmedian 40.6x
P/B now vs peer median 12.3xmedian 4.6x 31.6xmedian 4.6x 3.0xmedian 4.6x
PEG now vs peer median 2.28median 2.28 2.81median 2.28 -3.28median 2.28

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsAMATKLACVECO
Revenue $30.84B $13.58B $682.72M
Gross profit $15.23B $8.32B $258.88M
Operating income $9.14B $5.66B $18.38M
Net income $9.27B $4.83B $23.24M
Free cash flow $5.62B $3.77B $85.17M
R&D $3.97B $1.53B $122.79M
EPS (diluted) $11.58 $3.66 $0.35
Cash & equivalents $7.04B $1.65B $214.46M
Total debt $26.11B $5.89B $904.53M
Shares (diluted) 800.00M 1.32B 66.78M
Enterprise value $296.40B $200.72B $1.11B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricAMATKLACVECO
P/E 33.9x 41.7x 115.2x
P/FCF 55.9x 53.3x 31.5x
P/Operating cash flow 37.4x 48.5x 26.9x
P/S 10.2x 14.8x 3.9x
P/B 12.3x 31.6x 3.0x
P/Tangible book 12.4x 33.0x 3.0x
EV/EBITDA 32.2x 33.9x 63.0x
EV/EBIT 34.1x 36.2x 134.8x
EV/Revenue 10.1x 15.1x 3.6x
EV/FCF 55.4x 54.4x 29.1x
EV/Operating cash flow 37.1x 49.5x 24.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 2.28 2.81 -3.28

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAMATKLACVECO
Revenue growth (1Y) 7.8% 11.7% -2.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.1% 9.0% 2.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 9.8% 12.4% -10.9%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 7.3% 9.9% -0.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 6.0% 12.9% -66.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 6.0% 12.3% -30.4%
Net income growth (1Y) 35.6% 18.9% -61.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 12.9% 12.6% -29.9%
EPS growth (1Y) 36.0% 20.5% -65.4%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 14.9% 14.9% -35.1%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 9.0% 1.5% 33.0%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 1.6% 4.1% -1.8%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -3.4% 0.5% 53.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) -7.0% 4.2% -0.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAMATKLACVECO
Gross margin 49.4% 61.3% 37.9%
EBITDA margin 31.4% 44.6% 5.8%
Operating margin 29.6% 41.7% 2.7%
Pretax margin 34.8% 41.3% 3.4%
Net margin 30.1% 35.6% 3.4%
FCF margin 18.2% 27.7% 12.5%
Operating cash flow margin 27.2% 30.5% 14.6%
Return on equity 37.4% 79.3% 2.6%
Return on assets 22.1% 27.7% 1.7%
Return on invested capital 25.3% 40.7% 1.6%
Return on capital employed 29.0% 43.2% 1.6%
Asset turnover 0.7x 0.8x 0.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 0.9x 0.9x 4.3x
Stock comp / revenue 2.3% 2.3% 5.3%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAMATKLACVECO
Debt / assets 15.0% 32.8% 16.0%
Debt / equity 0.3x 0.9x 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA -0.3x 0.7x -5.2x
Debt / FCF 1.2x 1.6x 2.7x
Liabilities / assets 41.1% 64.6% 36.2%
Equity / assets 58.9% 35.4% 63.8%
Interest coverage 33.0x 19.9x 2.1x
Current ratio 2.4x 2.9x 3.9x
Quick ratio 1.6x 1.1x 2.5x
Cash ratio 0.9x 0.4x 1.8x
Altman Z-score 14.32 13.01 3.85

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAMATKLACVECO
Dividend yield 0.5% 0.5% –
Net buyback yield 0.6% 1.1% -0.1%
Shareholder yield 1.1% 1.6% -0.1%
Payout ratio (earnings) – 21.9% –
Payout ratio (FCF) – 28.1% –
Dividend growth (1Y) – 17.2% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – 13.1% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusAMATKLACVECO
Forward P/E 29.3xFY2026 27.1xFY2027 30.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $13.50FY2026 $5.67FY2027 $1.46FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +43.3%FY2026 +50.8%FY2027 +9.8%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +32.7% +16.6% +108.2%
Revenue, next fiscal year $32.74BFY2026 $19.18BFY2027 $753.17MFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +15.4%FY2026 +41.2%FY2027 +13.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +38.2% +8.6% +52.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAMATKLACVECO
Held by institutions 83.6% 91.0% 100.0%
Institutions holding 3,505 2,478 327
Change in shares held, QoQ +6.0% +4.2% +3.5%
Institutions buying 1,789 1,285 207
Institutions selling 1,349 982 86
Buyers to sellers 1.33 1.31 2.41

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

AMATKLACVECO
AMAT 1.00 0.88 0.64
KLAC 0.88 1.00 0.66
VECO 0.64 0.66 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AMAT, KLAC and VECO?

Applied Materials (AMAT) is the largest by market capitalisation: Applied Materials (AMAT) $330.96B, Kla (KLAC) $208.56B, Veeco Instruments (VECO) $2.68B.

Which stock is cheaper, AMAT, KLAC and VECO?

Applied Materials (AMAT) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Applied Materials (AMAT) 35.7x, Kla (KLAC) 43.2x, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 115.4x). On next year's consensus earnings, Kla (KLAC) is cheapest (Applied Materials (AMAT) 29.3x, Kla (KLAC) 27.1x, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 30.0x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Kla (KLAC) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Applied Materials (AMAT) +7.8%, Kla (KLAC) +11.7%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) -2.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Kla (KLAC) has the highest net margin (Applied Materials (AMAT) 30.1%, Kla (KLAC) 35.6%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 3.4%). On return on invested capital, Kla (KLAC) leads (Applied Materials (AMAT) 25.3%, Kla (KLAC) 40.7%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 1.6%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Applied Materials (AMAT) returned the most: Applied Materials (AMAT) +71.2%, Kla (KLAC) +26.5%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) +50.0%. Over five years, Kla (KLAC) compounded fastest (Applied Materials (AMAT) +23.8%/yr, Kla (KLAC) +34.1%/yr, Veeco Instruments (VECO) +12.8%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Applied Materials (AMAT) 0.00%, Kla (KLAC) 0.01%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 0.00%. Applied Materials (AMAT) and Veeco Instruments (VECO) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Applied Materials (AMAT) has been the steadiest (Applied Materials (AMAT) 60.5%, Kla (KLAC) 61.4%, Veeco Instruments (VECO) 70.8%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AMAT, KLAC and VECO?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Kla (KLAC) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.